confused between different asus models

After browsing around on the site for some time and reading people's opinions, I have come to the conclusion that the best laptop for someone who wants 14-15" core duo x1600 1 gb ram is an Asus. I was originally thinking the s96j, but then I did some research on the higher priced A8ja/m and w3j models.

The s96j runs for about $1300 for my specs, but then I see the A8j for $1700 and the w3j for $1900. Are the build quality and/or looks the only things that are causing the diffrentiation in pricing? Is it worth it to shell out an extra $500 to get a w3j with the same specs...is the s96j considered a very base model?? Then why don't I just get an Acer Aspire 5672 for $1050...when I asked this question I get ridiculed saying its build quality is horrible and the s96j is so much better looking when to me it looks like a suitcase. So if the w3j is an Acura, an A8j is a Honda, and an s96j is a Hyundai, then an Acer 5672 is a...jalopy? What does that make a dell then?

Of course, if money is not an issue, then you can get whatever you want. But as for me, if it is an issue, then should I really be drawn in and distracted by these "designer" models with "exceptional build quality" or are these differences really exagerrated? How much better, really, is a w3j compared to a $1300 s96?

So I'm just really confused on what I should get, as I would like to spend as little as I can but still have a solid laptop with nice looks. I can't help being drawn in by that sexy w3j, but is it worth the extra $500 over the s96j? One more question, for s96 vs z96, I like the multitasking capability of the z96 but I also play games and I heard I can't do that at native res. with z96..is this true?

 

Go with the S96J. Not worth shelling out an extra 600$ for a W3J.

And the S96J isn't ugly at all, its actually very sleek looking in real life... Acer is HORRIBLE, the plastic cracks, the screens peel off, everything you fear will happen to it.

Dells aren't quite as bad as you think by the way.. They're loaded with bloatware and what not, but as far as build quality and performance once you format them.. it's actually pretty decent.. Acer is far far FAR worse.

 

Mystery, why do so many people get A8j's and w3j's then?

 

They buy them for the same reason people buy sony laptops and apple laptops. They are "pretty", thin, and expensive. So therefore people think they are better. I love watching people shell out $2k for a notebook because they think they will get what they pay for. Then they see my $1300 notebook, which they think looks nicer, and is 3x faster.

I'm sure people buy the Asus W3J's and A8J's because they want a smaller notebook than a 15.4", or they want something that looks a little prettier. Some people also do not want to build their own notebooks from a barebones, and do not trust a reseller to do such a thing for them. 90% of resellers I would not trust to put a notebook together for me.

I say go with an S96, or better yet, a Z96. I absolutely love my Z96J. Build quality is more than good enough, and it looks pretty nice except for the VBi panel. But you can put a custom image there and then it might not look so bad... But the Z96J is cheaper, more customizable, and it probably runs cooler since the laptop is physically larger(15.4" footprint vs. 14" footprint) so the parts aren't packed as tightly together.

 

I own a W3J, yes I bought it for the better build quality. I also think that 15.4" is too big to be portable.


Further, another big factor was that the W3J has a hot swappable optical bay... so I can increase battery life (I find 3 hours too short)

Lastly... I just think the Z96, S96, A8m all too um... ugly.... (no offense) but that's just my opinion from the pictures online.

 

Yeah, pictures make the S/Z96 look pretty bad.

I have gotten nothing but compliments for my Z96J. And I like this laptop much more than my old one because people no longer mistake it for an apple. And my old lappy(Uniwill N258KA) didn't even look anything like an apple notebook.

Sure, it's not the same as a brushed alimunum laptop, but it's special in it's own way.

I find the Z96J to be as portable as any 14" laptop. It weighs just as much, and is barely any larger in length and width.

 

It's just that I see some of my classmates use a 15.4" laptop... and at first, they're so big, I thought they were 17".

therefore, I knew that 15.4" were too big for me... I like to keep a laptop portable... maybe it's just cause I'm a small guy (only 5'8 140lb)...

 

Couple main reasons I got the A8Jm:
- The S96J and Z96J weren't released when I needed them 2 months ago, the A8Jm just came out
- It's comparable in performance with the W3J without the price premium (I don't really care about looks)
- It's 14" ... I originally wanted a 15.4", but found 14" more to my liking...

Qwester: Yeah.. photos online don't do justice to the A8J's and S/Z96 series.. but they look quite fine compared to most notebooks out there...

 

I have seen 15.4" notebooks bigger than 17" notebooks. It all depends on the specific notebook. You can't judge all notebooks in the same class based on one notebook.

And I'm small too. 5"9~5"10 and 135lbs. Every single one of my textbooks for school are bigger and weigh more than my Z96. I carried around the Z96 to a summer course I finished up recently, and forgot I was carrying it at times. And I take my laptop with me everywhere... I have not yet found a 15.4" to cause portability problems. My old 15.4" was 8.5lbs, and the only thing that got annoying was it weighed FAR too much. It had two heatsinks, one of which was copper and could be considered to be two heatsinks. My Z96 feels like it weighs less than half as much. I tried to weigh the Z96 and it came out to 5lbs. I know resellers claim aroudn 6.5 lbs, but I find it to be lighter than that, fully configured.

 

heaton the difference beetwen S96J and Z96J is that Z96J has bluetooth built in and higher resolution.
If you configure a Z96J like the W3J the difference is around 300 dollars, not 500.
W3J has fiber carbon not plastic, hot swappale bay, etc.
Actually theres a los of topic that you could search, or reviews that might help you.

 

Read my review on the Z96J. Calzon named the differences between it and the S96.

Gaming is entirely possible on the Z96. A lot of games, such as Half-Life 2 and Halo, and also Wc3 run GREAT at native. And games such as Doom 3 and Quake 4 run GREAT at SXGA. That woul be 1280x1024. They actually run better at 1280x1024 than at 1280x800. They look better, run faster, and are more playable at 1280x1024. I notice next to no image quality loss when playing Doom 3 at 1280x1024. I normally can't stand running an LCD at non-native. I don't mind this at all.

Z96J is definately worth it over the S96.

 

JPZ... were you the guy that figured his laptop weighed 5lbs by picking it up while standing on a bathroom scale?

I saw what you did to your old laptop... I think people are complimenting you to prevent you from painting this one blue as well!

I kid, I kid! Seriously though Heaton "Elite" brought up a good point and a question that I've been wondering for a while... Is the build quality between the BoA and Ensembles any different. The matterials are different. Thats pretty obvious just by looking at them. But are the hinges as sturdy? Are there more or less creeks? Flex in the chassis? Maybe one of the resellers could answer that?

 

i probably would have bought the z96j if it had a ETA at the time..but it didn't and i already preordered the w3j at that point..of course there's the V1J too but the best thing to do for you is 1) decide how important looks are to you 2)what is your max budget and 3) do you prefer high res wsxga+ or low res wxga..that said all asus models..even the stripper models are built better than most other brands out there..you can't really go wrong

 

Yes. =)
It works like this:

Weigh self holding laptop. Record weight.
Weigh self without laptop. Subtract from previous weight.

Also, the Z96 feels like it weighs half as much as my 8lb Uniwill.

HUH? Who is complimenting me, why would they not want me to paint my Z96 blue, and why would complimenting my previous paint job keep me from painting my Z96?

By the way, the blue paintjob came out pretty bad. Clear coat screwed everything up. I plan on pulling it apart and starting over, using a different brand clear coat. Might go for a different color. Possibly black.


Unsure about BoA build quality vs. Ensemble quality. Will say that the Z96J build quality is excellent, and the laptop will withstand more than I would ever need it to. Definately top quality.

 

I just reweighed the Z96. More accurate than before. It comes out to 5.25lbs.

 

isn't that MBP territory?

 

First of all, the difference in price between the a8j/w3j, and the z96/s96 is due to the size. A 15.4'' laptop with dedicated graphics is no big deal but a 14'' laptop with dedicated graphics is. Second, there is a noticable difference in quality between ensemble and built on models. Ensembles tend to feel more sturdy and have less flex. Finally, looks are totally subjective. Some might think that their laptop looks totally awesome while others may think that the same laptop is bulky and ugly, you need to decide whether you like the look for yourself instead of listening to what others have to say about their own laptop. (However, if you do want a biased opinion, the w3j has a shinny brushed aluminum lid that NO other laptop out there has and will definitely turn some heads . )

Also, don't downplay the size difference between a 14'' and a 15.4'' laptop. Keep in my that most college dorm rooms are relatively small and you won't be getting a monster desk to fit all your stuff on. My friends with 15.4'' laptops could fit their laptops on their desk, or do their homework on their desk, but never both, there just wasn't enough space. However I could squeeze both my 14'' widescreen laptop, a book, and a notebook on my desk at the same time which meant I could do homework and chat online at the same time (maybe not a good thing but at least its a nice option to have). Also, if you plan on bringing your laptop around with you, you might want a smaller 14'' laptop since it will fit into a backpack with books etc easier. Some ppl are fine carrying around a 15.4'' laptop but I like to travel light so a big laptop is just too much trouble for me.

Is it worth it to pay a couple hundred extra for an a8j/w3j over a s96/z96? That's really up to you. Most of the insides of all the laptops are practically the same and you will get very similar performance on each laptop. The difference is mainly in build quality and design and if you're one of those ppl that like to pay extra for something that stands out then I would recommend an ensemble, if you just want something that does its job and doesnt cost too much then go for the z96/z96.

 

nicely put ray50000

But I am sadden by the fact that one member of this fourm's W3J's uni-bar thingy is already fading in paint.... why couldn't ASUS just keep it metal?

and due to my constant mishaps with my W3J, I'm currently doubting the quality of ASUS. (The build is good... no flex and all, but GPU on my W3J failed twice in a week's period) But then I've had nothing but good things to say about ASUS' motherboard division *drools*

other little niggles I found with the W3J is that the infared port plastic is loose... in that it shakes around.... and the the splendid sofware for my W3J does not work.... anyone else have this trouble?